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A new payment plan announced by the Spanish government will eliminate the debt of pharmacies to drug wholesalers, some going back two years, by the end of 2013. Analysts at IHS Global Insight note that the repayment plan is coming at the same time as the government is considering price-stabilizing regulations for drugs. Nevertheless, at a time of continuing austerity, Spain's pharmaceutical market will fall more than 6% this year, from $23.30 billion to $21.86 billion, predicts Business Monitor International.

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A bill to provide some medical device companies with tax cuts for research and development and staff training is poised to pass in Taiwan. The bill would also give medtech companies government subsidies. Meanwhile, talks are continuing between Taiwan and China on establishing a unified standard for drug companies. Chinese and Taiwanese drug companies are scheduled to meet in China from Nov. 8 to 9.

The U.S. FDA released pharmaceutical industry guidelines on situations that constitute refusing, limiting, denying or delaying inspection of drug manufacturing facilities worldwide. Drugmakers can issue comments on the guidance until Sept. 30.

A report on prospects for universal health care urges India to strengthen its domestic medical technology industry, pointing out that 75% of medical devices in the country are imported. The report, prepared by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry in collaboration with Ernst and Young, also noted that the number of people covered by government health care programs increased from 37 million to 243 million from 2004 to 2010, with the number expected to jump to 500 million by 2015.

Spermidine, a natural cell component, cleans out protein buildup in the brains of fruit flies, resulting in improved memory performance of older insects, according to research conducted by Freie Universität Berlin and the University of Graz, published in Nature Neuroscience. The research may help find substances to treat age-related memory loss generally, since the memory processes in fruit flies and humans are similar.

Representatives of Japanese drug companies attending a trade meeting in New Delhi expressed their willingness to collaborate with Indian pharma companies in such areas as marketing, research and product development. "We are looking for long-term partnerships with Indian companies," said Hamano International President Shoichiro Hamano.